Canada finds TikTok fails to adequately protect children’s data, officials say

Canada’s privacy authorities have concluded that TikTok’s protections for children and the handling of personal data fall short, according to findings announced by the privacy commissioner and other officials. The investigation, led by privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne and a team of privacy protection officials, focused on how the platform operates in Canada and how it safeguards users under the age of 18. The probe found that hundreds of thousands of Canadian children use TikTok each year, despite the firm’s stated policy that the app is not intended for anyone under the age of 13. Officials say the scale of underage engagement underscores gaps in enforcement and transparency around data practices on the platform.

The investigators said TikTok collects vast amounts of information from its users in Canada, including data that could be considered highly sensitive for minors. They found that this information is used to tailor content and advertisements, a practice that Dufresne described as potentially harmful to young people. At a news conference announcing the findings, Dufresne stated that the data collection is broad and that its use to target what users see can magnify risks for youth, including exposure to age-inappropriate content and commercial messages that exploit personal data. “This data is being used to target the content and ads that users see, which can have harmful impacts, particularly on youth,” he said.

In the report, investigators noted that TikTok had access to and used sensitive personal information from a large number of Canadian children. They criticized the adequacy of measures intended to prevent underage use and the clarity of disclosures regarding how collected data could be used for marketing and content targeting. The findings suggest that despite long-standing warnings about protecting minors online, the company did not implement sufficient safeguards within its Canadian operations.

TikTok responded with a measured, defensive posture. In a statement, the company said it welcomed the investigation and that Canadian officials had “agreed to a number of our proposals to further strengthen our platform,” while noting that it disagreed with some of the findings. The spokesperson added that the company remains committed to transparency and privacy practices. The BBC, which first reported the study, quotes TikTok as saying it would introduce a number of measures to strengthen the platform for Canadians, even as it disputes certain conclusions. The BBC has asked the company to specify which findings it believes are inaccurate or unsupported.

The Canadian investigation is the latest in a broader wave of global scrutiny surrounding TikTok’s data practices and national security concerns. Governments in various jurisdictions have pursued reviews of how TikTok handles user information, with policymakers citing the platform’s Chinese ownership as a potential risk. The current report follows that pattern by examining how data collection and targeting could affect a young user base in Canada, a country that has long required strong protections for children’s online data.

International developments surrounding TikTok provide a larger backdrop to the Canadian findings. In the United States, discussions and negotiations have centered on a potential arrangement in which TikTok’s U.S. operations could be controlled by a consortium of American companies as a condition of continued access to the American market. While U.S. authorities have sought to address security concerns, critics warn that data practices in social media apps can leak or misuse information about minors regardless of national ownership concerns. In Europe, a notable example occurred in 2023 when staff at the European Commission were instructed to remove the TikTok app from their work devices as a cybersecurity precaution. Those steps illustrate the heightened sensitivity around personal data on popular platforms and the willingness of regulators to implement rapid changes in response to perceived risk.

The Canadian findings come as TikTok maintains that it is committed to strengthening privacy protections and user safety. The company has repeatedly pointed to its efforts to enhance transparency and data controls, and it has asserted that it complies with applicable laws while engaging with regulators on future improvements. Nonetheless, the report’s emphasis on underage use and the use of sensitive data for targeting is likely to intensify political and regulatory scrutiny of the platform in Canada and beyond, particularly as lawmakers weigh potential restrictions or mandates on data handling and age verification.

For now, officials say they will seek continued dialogue with TikTok to implement the recommended safeguards and to improve the clarity of disclosures around data usage. The measure to curb underage access and to clarify data practices, as outlined by Dufresne, aligns with a global trend toward tighter oversight of digital platforms that reach younger audiences. The BBC noted that TikTok indicated it would adopt the proposed safeguards, signaling a willingness to work with Canadian authorities despite contesting some conclusions.

As regulatory attention to TikTok intensifies, observers say the Canadian case could influence how other countries approach age verification, parental controls, and data-usage disclosures on the app. The outcome may depend on how effectively TikTok can demonstrate that it prevents underage use, limits the collection of sensitive information from minors, and provides clear, user-friendly explanations of how collected data is used for content selection and advertising.

Overall, the report underscores a persistent tension in the digital economy: the desire to deliver personalized content and advertisements at scale while protecting vulnerable users, especially children. The investigative findings in Canada add to a growing body of evidence that regulators are increasingly demanding stronger guardrails around how major social platforms collect, store, and use personal data from young people. The coming months could bring further regulatory actions, settlements, or consent-based changes as TikTok and policymakers work to resolve the questions raised by the Canadian inquiry and similar inquiries elsewhere.